For the third year in a row, the Independent honors our towns’ high school graduates in a special section. Not all responded to our efforts to reach them, but most did, and we are indebted to all the members of the newspaper staff who worked hard to produce these 46 profiles.
If you are a member of the class of 2022 and we missed you, our invitation stands. Send us a photo and 150 words or so about your memories, passions, and hopes. We’ll keep telling your stories.
We are indebted, also, to Mimi Bois for her portrait of Molly Kiegans on the cover, and to Amy Kandall and Abraham Storer for their essays on this page. We extend sincere congratulations to all of this year’s graduates and their teachers and mentors, and we look forward to reporting on their lives after high school, here on the Outer Cape and wherever they go in the world.
—Edward Miller
Britannia Croll
Provincetown
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Clark Atlanta University
I plan to major in pre-med at Clark Atlanta University, to obtain my nursing degree. I’m looking forward to a new environment and learning new things. I call Provincetown my second home, my first home being Whitehouse Westmoreland, Jamaica, where I was raised from birth until the age of 11. I enjoy the beautiful beaches and outdoor adventures that Cape Cod has to offer. The schools offer amazing educational resources with great teachers who love their jobs. Some things I will take from my high school experience are joining the cheerleading team, attending the football games, and spending time after school with friends. One of my biggest goals in life is to be a motivational speaker for African American kids, teaching young kids like my eight-year-old sister, Raven, to love the skin they’re in and appreciate themselves for who they are.
Cali Griffin
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Wheaton College, Norton, Mass.
I’m excited to explore my possibilities, especially the art programs at Wheaton. I’ve always loved art. That’s what has really made my high school experience: the program, my classmates, and my teachers. They got me through it all. I got into photography and film projects, and I’ve always had the freedom to do whatever I wanted. One day, I’d be embroidering a bag. The next day, I’d be experimenting with different media, like putting prints on clothing. I don’t follow any set rules. I grew up skating and surfing. I can’t live without doing these things. Luckily, Wheaton is close to home. If the surf looks really good, I can drive back. Newport, R.I. can have good waves, too, and that’s about the same distance. As for skating, there’s a couple of good skate parks in Rhode Island. I’m going to miss the skating and surfing community out here — we really do mingle and mix. If someone passes away in the community, like when Arthur Medici died after a shark attack, we paddle out for them.
Cam Viprino
Eastham
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Maine Maritime Academy, Castine
I’ll be attending Maine Maritime and I’m committed to play Division III lacrosse there next year as well. I’ve lived on the Outer Cape all my life. I am going to miss fishing on the Cape more than anything. Fishing is the culture I’ve been around since I was young, so I have grown up always having that in my life. I will also miss being a part of the lacrosse and hockey teams at Nauset. Some of my best memories are playing on those teams. Even though I’m a little nervous about leaving, I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life and seeing what it has to offer.
Camille Pontius
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Castleton University, Castleton, Vt.
I will be attending Castleton University in Vermont in the fall. My plan is to major in theater, with a focus on acting. I grew up on the Cape in Wellfleet, and I believe what roots me to this place is family. A lot of my family lives a short distance away, so we have been able to remain close throughout my life. I will be living off Cape for the first time, and I think the place I will miss the most, other than my house, is the beach. Being so close to the ocean all my life has been a gift, but I am very excited to explore the other environments this world has to offer.
Cacey Desruisseaux
Truro
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams
I don’t have a set major as of right now, but I plan on heading into social sciences. I’m mostly looking forward to being able to have an education that is more centered around what I am interested in and being able to immerse myself in another community. While I only moved to the Cape in January of 2016, it immediately felt like home. The close-knit community is something that I had never been a part of before, and it was so amazing to feel so connected and involved with the place and community I was living in. After I graduate, I do plan on leaving Cape Cod, but I will miss the beautiful scenery and the people here most of all.
Chad Joseph Caramanna
Truro
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Stonehill College, Easton, Mass.
I’m looking forward to studying environmental engineering at my dream school, Stonehill College. I hope to one day design a product that will help rescue our crippled environment and provide people with the ability to do their part to keep the Earth clean. Quarantining in the middle of football season was my first major obstacle at Nauset, and as much of a challenge as it was, it taught me to persevere. Spending hours on Zoom meetings and in preparation for games just to have them abruptly canceled was heartbreaking. There were times I’d show up to practice and only half our team was there. It took every ounce of hope and energy to keep fighting for our team, but I learned that you’ve never truly lost until you’ve given up, and that every loss is a stepping stone to something bigger. I want to thank every teacher, coach, janitor, referee, and student that I’ve had the honor of meeting in high school. Though I didn’t grow up on Cape Cod like everyone around me, I was met with open arms and given the best home that anybody could possibly ask for. This place has brought me more joy and guidance than I can put into words.
Charlotte Manganaro
Eastham
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: University of Massachusetts Amherst
I am going to UMass Amherst as an undeclared major, and I’m playing on the girls ice hockey team. I really loved how Nauset had so many different classes. I really love my clay class, my arts enrichment class, and my outdoor adventure class. I’m going to miss being so close to the beach, my sister, and all my friends, but I’m also really excited for college.
Chayse Fleming
Eastham
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Maybe Nashville, Tenn.
I graduated after the fall semester. Then, in January, I got a job at the Little Stars Learning Academy in Dennis. I was an assistant preschool flex teacher there. I moved around a lot in the classroom, covering people’s breaks and filling in. I love working with the pre-k age. You can have a conversation with them, and they can understand you. It’s not like the infants. But I don’t think teaching is the right career for me. In the fall, I might move off Cape to live with my sister in Nashville. I love going to honky-tonks and seeing live music out in the streets. Everyone’s just so happy. I’m ready to leave behind the quiet of Cape Cod, but I want to get in some beach days and late-night drives before I go. I have a beat-up generational car — a 2012 Kia. It was my stepmom’s first, then my sister bought it and banged it up, and for $1,500 I bought that off my sister. It gets me from A to B, so I can’t say anything about it. I’ve driven it to Nashville twice now, though I don’t know if she’ll make another round. My dream vehicle is a truck. Something nice and easy.
Christina Egeli
Provincetown
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, Mass.
Leaving Provincetown for college will feel like ripping off a Band-Aid for me! Provincetown is my heart and soul, and I plan to return as much as possible. Before I go to Montserrat College to pursue a B.F.A. in painting, I plan to spend my summer swimming, modeling, singing, and working at Vintage in Vogue in Whaler’s Wharf. I am very grateful for the artistic legacy my family has in Provincetown, and I hope to add to that legacy during and after college. A special shout out to all my P’town family who have guided me through high school and shaped me into the flamboyant person I am today. I love you all!
Clara Cappello
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: University of Massachusetts Boston
This fall, I will be majoring in nursing at UMass Boston, and I am very excited to experience a new place and to meet new people. Through my career in nursing, I plan to make a difference in the world by enriching people’s lives, and I would like to help patients feel comfortable around nurses and other medical professionals when the patients are going through difficult times. I have been able to experience that comfort as a patient, and hope others can, too.
Court Watson
Truro
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Syracuse University, Florence, Italy
In the fall, I’m headed to Italy for a semester abroad via Syracuse University. I’m planning to major in environmental engineering or policy, or entrepreneurship. I want to have some sort of positive effect on the health of the planet. I grew up being out on the water in the summertime, fishing, lobstering, and diving. When I got older, I worked multiple summers on Billingsgate Charters, fishing and lobstering out of Wellfleet Harbor. Both my parents are artists, which gave me an appreciation for the beauty of the landscapes, beaches, and ocean around me. I think I’ll miss the diversity on the Cape — not only the variety of people who live here and visit, but also the harsh quiet winters and the hot busy summers. I’ll always have the fun memories I made with my friends during high school, and how even during the worst points of Covid we were still able to have a great time.
Devon Felix
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Gap year
I’ll take a gap to make some money first and then go to trade school. There’s no need to instantly go to college after you graduate. As of right now, I think I’m going to try and go into the electrical trade field. I need a journeyman license and then to apprentice for five years, but right now I’m working with my mother at the 349 Cafe at the Chequessett Club. In the summers, I’m a big fisherman. I like the Wellfleet dike, or really anywhere in Wellfleet Harbor. I’ve got a lot of striped bass for early in the season, and when they’re above 28 inches you’re allowed to keep it. I’ve lived on the Cape my whole life, and while I’d like to go other places, I do see myself coming back to the Cape in the future.
Diana Williams
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: University of Vermont, Burlington
I’m headed to the University of Vermont in the fall, and I’m majoring in nutrition and food science. I’ve always had a really bad digestive system. During Covid, I set out to try to figure out what was causing all of these problems, so I met with my gastroenterologist and nutritionist and went on a three-month journey to find out why my gut was so bad all the time. I cut out all of the things in my diet that were possibly inflaming my system, and then we slowly reintroduced things. I haven’t eaten garlic or onion in over a year. Those are the two big things — literally, a couple of pieces of onion, and I’m done for. As for green onion, I can do the dark green part but not the white part. In the future, I want to help other people with weak stomachs. Also, I’d love to make grocery lists for people. I’m a big list lover. I can’t wait to explore Vermont and be in the mountains. That’s new terrain for me, having grown up by the ocean. But I will miss the water. We take it so for granted here. There’s something about seeing that open expanse of water.
Dylan Duarte
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: University of Maine, Orono
I am going to the University of Maine in the fall to study forestry and environmental science. I am going to miss my family, number one, and the fishing and hunting here. And I’ll miss my friends. I will take with me the memory of our baseball season last year, when we were undefeated and no one was left out. We all really came together, and it was a good community feeling. This year our baseball season has been really good, too. In the future, I am going to learn new things to help the world as much as I can.
Emilia (Mimi) Bois
Provincetown
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Gap year, then college
I’ll work here for June and July, then go to Sitka, Alaska, in August to fish with my brother. I’ll come back in September and hopefully have a little art store with my brother and spend some time at my family’s dune shack. In the winter and spring, I hope to travel. I love the Cape, and I love being in P’town. I enjoy going to the beach a lot, and the artistic community. My aunts and uncles are my neighbors. Provincetown is a beautiful place with great people. I feel fortunate to live here. Being on the soccer team was awesome. I got to play with all my friends. In the Green Club we did a lot of really cool things for the school environment. I plan to study environmental studies and art in college.
Esmeralda Rivera
Provincetown
School: Sturgis Charter Public School East
Fall plan: University of Massachusetts Boston
I’ll be going to UMass Boston, most likely to major in human resources. I’ve always loved the ambiance of Provincetown and it has shaped me into the person I am today. My grandparents have been my role models growing up. They always push me to my full potential and encourage me to stay determined and never quit — which I’ll continue doing as I transition into these next years. I want to be remembered as the person who can always put a smile on everyone’s face, no matter what. This is why I want to pursue the human resources field and help others as much as I can.
Faye Lindberg
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: University of Massachusetts Amherst
This fall at UMass, I will be a biology major in the pre-medical program. I’m looking forward to taking the next steps towards achieving my goal of becoming a physician. I have lived in Wellfleet my whole life, and I feel very lucky to be from a community like ours. Growing up in this unique place has made me who I am, given me a respect for the environment and the people around me that I wouldn’t have had otherwise and am grateful for. When I’m off at college this fall, I will miss perfect June days spent at Lecount’s with my friends, some good food, and a book to read. Even though I have to leave now, I find comfort in knowing that Wellfleet will always be here for me to return to.
Hernite Riviere
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: College of Charleston, Charleston, S.C.
Graduating for me is a reward for struggle and persistence. I will be attending the College of Charleston in South Carolina, majoring in business. I am looking forward to being able to broaden my view of the world by meeting people and learning ideas foreign to me. I came here from Haiti, but the Cape is now where I come from. I have made memories, friends, and families. High school taught me how to have a good work ethic and always aim higher in everything I do. Haiti is a poor county. I lived there until I was 11 years old. Many people are living in the streets; children are without an education. My plan is to help others. I will provide homes, food, and other basic necessities. I feel I have to give back to the world that has given me so many opportunities.
Isabel Cook
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore
After graduating, I plan on studying speech pathology at Loyola University Maryland. Although I’m excited and grateful for this opportunity, I am going to miss my life on Cape Cod and the community here. Living on Cape Cod, I have gained so many close friends and people who support me, from soccer to golf to life decisions like my decision to travel to Maryland. Even though I will miss living here, I am so excited to meet new people from different places. I believe you grow as a person when you meet people who are different from you. Maryland is going to be an awesome experience.
Jack Barrio
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plans: Travel, work, and skiing
I plan on going to Florida in the fall to share an apartment with friends and find work. Then, in the late winter into the spring, I will work on a ski mountain in Colorado. The thing that I will miss most about Cape Cod is my family, the beaches, and fishing. The experience I enjoyed most about high school was seeing all my friends there. One thing to tell my classmates: I wish we weren’t separated from each other so much in our high school career. One way I will change the world is by showing people they should never give up on anything they are doing.
Jack Bienvenue
Wellfleet
School: Cape Cod Tech
Fall plan: Lasell College, Newton, Mass.
I am going to Lasell College for sports management, which is the business side of sports, and I will minor in sports media to maybe become a broadcaster. I am looking forward to meeting new people. I like the Cape, but I want to experience living near Boston and get that whole vibe. I want my classmates to know that I valued them and that they made my high school experience a lot better. I want to be remembered for something beyond the tattoo. On March 21, I got a tattoo that said, “Celtics 2022 NBA champions.” I posted it on my Instagram, and a buddy reposted it, and he has 75,000 followers. So WBZ contacted me and then all the other big news stations reached out to me. ESPN posted it. It really took off. I am excited for the future, and I am excited for all these new opportunities that are going to arise.
Jade Francis
Eastham
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Merrimack College, North Andover, Mass.
I’m going to be studying English at Merrimack College with a minor in communications. I haven’t gone to actual high school in the past two years. I’ve been doing dual enrollment at Cape Cod Community College, and I’ll be getting my associate’s degree in liberal arts. I loved this program. It helped me realize my passion for journalism and get my current job at Cape Media News. I started doing more broadcast stuff in the beginning, but now I’m editing videos that go up on YouTube and Facebook. I had the chance to do a story with the Cape and Islands Veterans Outreach Center and Cape Abilities. I got into journalism after taking courses with Kerry Drohan, who’s worked for the Cape Cod Times and the Boston Globe, and with Tim Miller, another role model who’s worked for the Cape Cod Times. At Merrimack, I plan on joining the college paper. Right now, there’s a huge need for good journalists. We just had a president who made it seem like all journalists aren’t trustworthy, but I want to be a trustworthy one who relays the important information that people need to know.
James Allan Souza Jr.
North Truro
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Bridgewater State University
I am undecided on a major, but I want to work in a field that will let me come back to the Cape and help my community when I finish college. If I could take one lesson with me from my high school years, it would be to be persistent in any work I decide to do and not give up just because it is hard. I will work to make the world better and will give back as much as I can as a thank you for the opportunities I have gotten. I appreciate everyone who has helped me to get out of my shy shell.
James Rose
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Davidson College, Davidson, N.C.
I will be attending Davidson College in North Carolina and I’m planning on majoring in economics. I am looking forward to meeting new people and learning new things. I am going to miss going to the beach at short notice the most. One of my favorite things is to order food and eat it while looking out on the water. One of my best high school experiences was my time with the Nauset High soccer team. I have built some great friendships on and off the field through this team, and I have always appreciated the camaraderie we had with each other.
Janae Tompkins
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Salem State University
This fall I will be attending Salem State, where I will major in psychology. With my degree, I hope to become a school psychologist or a therapist. Although I did not take any psychology classes at Nauset, I took sociology, which inspired my interest in people’s behavior. Majoring in psychology will give me a more personal perspective on how others act. After high school, I am looking forward to gaining more independence and discovering who I am. I used to wish for the day that I would leave the Cape, but the closer that day comes, the more I realize that I am going to miss the tight-knit community we have and all of the friends I have made here.
Josh Palheiro
Truro
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Keene State College, Keene, N.H.
I will be attending Keene State College in New Hampshire, majoring in economics or finance. Before that, however, I will be continuing to work with my dad on our lobster boat called Papa John this summer. I have been working this job since I was about 12, and I am very eager to continue with it this summer. I was born and raised in Truro, and it has really shaped me as I have grown up. This obviously has formed a strong bond between me and the Outer Cape, a very unique place to live. I am constantly surrounded by water, and this has given me the opportunity to be able to explore my love of fishing in many different ways and places. My favorite place to fish is just outside the point of Provincetown, where you can catch striped bass and bluefish. This is an experience that I will truly miss when I move away to Keene.
Julio A. Rivera-Cruz
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Cape Cod Community College
I am already enrolled at Cape Cod Community College. I want to have a career in the performing arts. My plan is to transfer to another university in Massachusetts in two years to complete my studies. I want to be able to continue participating in the plays at the Academy of Performing Arts in Orleans, and to be able to put in practice the knowledge that I will acquire. My high school years were like a test of resistance and growth because of Covid. But participating in school plays and being part of honors acting helped me to stay involved. I am Puerto Rican and I speak Spanish. I am also a Christian, and in these past four years I wanted to be able to show everyone the love of God with my testimony, love, joy, and fellowship at all times. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love and respect without judging.
Kalandra Andersen
Eastham
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass.
I am looking forward to attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a major in biology and biotechnology. When I leave for school, I think the thing I will miss most will be watching the sunset over the bay. My friends and I regularly go get ice cream and then take it back to First Encounter Beach to watch the sunset. After college, I want to do research to help fight cancer and improve the lives of people who suffer from genetic disorders.
Kayleigh Brown
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Classical studies in the United Kingdom or University of Massachusetts Amherst
My fall plans are a bit complicated, but I want to go abroad for school, so, with any luck, come September I’ll be in the U.K. studying the classics. If I stay in the U.S., I’ll be going to UMass Amherst instead. Either way, I will make the most of my college education and go on to a graduate program. I have mixed feelings about Cape Cod. The scenery is beautiful in summer and winter, and I enjoy the small-town feel we have in the off season, and the more cosmopolitan “on season.” I like the accessibility of culture and art for lower-income Cape Codders, and I enjoy the ability to pursue art here. However, I dislike the inequality on the Cape, and it gets dreadfully dry here in winter. I want more career opportunities and more people than there are on Cape, so I think it’s best if I move somewhere else. But it is kind of nice to have a family home in a “vacation paradise” rather than somewhere boring. I love the nature and the niches, but we could use fewer giant empty houses. And perhaps more opportunities for young people. I’ll really miss the nature, the seasons, and the temperate climate of Cape Cod.
Latanya Porter
Eastham
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Clark Atlanta University
The Outer Cape will always have significance in my life because it is where I started my journey in America after migrating from Jamaica. I experienced many new things and met wonderful people here. If I could take one thing from high school it would be all the lessons I learned in SWS (School Within a School). That class has taught me so much, and Ms. Karen Novacon and Ms. Diane Keon are both wonderful teachers. After high school, I plan on attending the illustrious Clark Atlanta University to pursue a career in business.
Lucas Allen
Eastham
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Bentley University, Waltham, Mass. or Fordham University, New York City
After high school, I plan on studying marketing and finance at either Bentley of Fordham. I want to live in New York City and work as an investment banker or start my own business. I will miss the relaxing nature of Cape Cod and the sense that I am safe and welcome here. However, it is time for me to leave to see the world and to help change the way people think. If I could take one thing with me from high school, it would be my friend group. We’ve grown really close this past year. It’s going to be difficult to be unable to see them every day.
Maile Vecchione
Provincetown
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Sailing and delivering boats
I’m the sixth generation in my family to live in Provincetown. High school was a living hell for me, but I made sure I stuck it out and made it to graduation. I love traveling and that is why, instead of college, I’m hopping on a sailboat to sail regattas and deliver boats — to be able to get paid to travel. I love meeting new people from all over the place. I love my town; it made me who I am today. Growing up, I would hear the word “bear” and think of a group of men who visit my town for Bear Week, not the animal. My friends say I have a very bubbly personality. I think it’s because being a townie means you know everyone and you are constantly saying hi to people and having conversations in the middle of Commercial Street. I will miss my wonderful town more than ever, but I don’t think that generation streak will end with me. I’ll be back.
Maximilian Dio
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Bates College, Lewiston, Maine
I’m going to Bates College to play baseball and study marine biology. I’m looking forward to meeting new people from all different parts of the country and immersing myself in a new culture. Growing up in Wellfleet, I was taught many life lessons, including having a strong work ethic, along with being grateful during difficult times. Even when life gets stressful with school and baseball, I can always go fishing or surfing to help myself appreciate what I have. The community that surrounds these activities has made me feel at home throughout my childhood, and it is something that I will never take for granted. I will miss having this strong sense of community in my life, but I know that I can always come back no matter where life takes me.
Mia Phillips
Provincetown
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
I will be attending Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia to study arts and social sciences. I am looking forward to meeting new people. What roots me to the Outer Cape, though, is my family. Being close to them is what I will miss most when I leave. A memorable experience from my high school years is has been playing on the varsity tennis team because of all the amazing people it introduced me to. I want my classmates to know that I wish them all the best and believe that we will all go on to do great things. I am going to change the world, I hope, by getting a law degree after university and using that to help those in need.
Mikey Terrenzi
Eastham
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Brandeis University, Waltham, Mass.
I’m going to Brandies University in the fall to study French and biochemistry. I think what I’ll miss the most about the Outer Cape is the drive along Bridge Road to Nauset Regional High School. In the winter, it is a calm, quiet drive with snowbanks along the road. In the spring, the flowers bloom with vibrant colors. I had a really amazing time learning and growing from the experiences I have had with my classmates.
Molly Keigans
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: University of Rhode Island, South Kingstown, R.I.
I am going to attend URI to study nursing. I hope to do some travel nursing after college; beyond that, I am unsure. I also would like to get my emergency medical technician license and work as an EMT on the Cape. My grandparents moved to the Cape to open a restaurant, the Lighthouse, which was on Main Street in Wellfleet. I spent most of my childhood wandering around town or at the beach. I love the Cape. I can’t imagine living anywhere else, although I know it can be challenging to find housing and jobs here.
Nell Hamilton
Eastham
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Connecticut College, New London
I committed to Connecticut College, where I’ll be majoring in theater and getting involved with queer groups and social justice work. Right now, I’m playing Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast. I’m actually a lot like her. One way that I’m similar to her is taking care of other people. I’d think to myself, “This is such a Mrs. Potts move right now.” I am having a really hard time with this costume, though. It’s difficult being an inanimate object. I’m always thinking, “How does a teapot move? How’s she doing the thing that she’s doing?” I’m hesitant to leave this community. I grew up with the Cape Rep Theater in Brewster, and I’ve always been around the theater community because my mom has worked at a theater for as long as I’ve been alive. And I’ll miss the Gender & Sexuality Alliance. As much as we’ve gone through this year with homophobia, transphobia, and losing a classmate, we’ve come together in a lot of unique ways. I’ll take that experience with me, and I hope to find that kind of community and safe space again in college.
Nemo Frawley
Eastham
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Travel
My plan for next year is going down to Florida, not for school but just for work. Me and a couple of buddies are going down. We are going to leave in mid-October and come back around mid-May. I think it will be fun. I’m a little nervous, but other than that I’m excited. I am going to be working at a golf course. My buddies are going to work somewhere on the water. I work at Cape Cod National Golf Club in Brewster.
Rayden Lindera
Eastham
School: Cape Cod Tech
Fall plan: Aviation Maintenance and Repair program at Cape Cod Community College
I chose Automotive Technology as a freshman at the Tech and, ever since, all I wanted to do was work on vehicles. I love the engineering and the precision it takes to make all these different moving components work. I’m in this field for the long run, because it brings me happiness to overcome the obstacles and problems. I’ve been working happily at Ira Toyota of Orleans for over a year now. I believe the aviation program at 4Cs will hone my technical skills. What’s awesome about this program is that I will be learning in an actual airplane hangar in Plymouth. My dream is to be working on vehicles for the rest of my life, whether it’s my own classic or tuned vehicle, in a hangar working on passenger airplanes, or in a garage working on commuter cars. One thing I will take from my high school years is to stick with people and friends who motivate you to do better, because if you’re going to do something, you want to be the best at it. If you’re not working to be the best, you’re already falling behind. At the end of the day, only you know what you’ve truly accomplished.
Riley Craven
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: University of Massachusetts Boston
Over the summers, I lifeguard at Wellfleet beaches and have witnessed the effects of erosion and climate change on Cape Cod first-hand. That’s why I plan to study environmental science at UMass Boston next year. I’m nervous about meeting new people but excited to try out living in a city, even though I’m usually a homebody. In high school, I actually took my dad’s arts and jewelry class all four years and really enjoyed it. My favorite spots on the Cape are White Crest Beach and the P’town dunes.
Samantha Schiffenhaus
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: The College of Charleston, Charleston, S.C.
I have loved living on Cape Cod throughout my life. I’ll be going to the College of Charleston in South Carolina to major in business, and I’m looking forward to living by the beach even when I’m away from home. I have loved my senior year at Nauset. Our class has bonded so much during our last year together. I’m so thankful to have such a great class and community around me. I will miss all of my friends so much, but I know we will all reconnect every summer here. Most of all, I will miss all the amazing ice cream shops that are open in the summertime. I will definitely be going to every single one on the Outer Cape this summer.
Samuel Anthony Catipon
Eastham and Centerville
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Ithaca College, Ithaca, N.Y.
Although I’m planning to go to Ithaca College to study creative writing and psychology, it’s hard to say what the future holds for me. I’ve lived on the Cape for only two years, and I will miss the tight-knit communities I’ve been a part of. But I would like to live a life off the Cape. My most treasured experience has been not to be afraid to make a friend. Pushing myself to connect with others saved me from a lot of troubles, and every day I’m thankful for the relationships I’ve built. I want to take that same mentality forward in life.
Sean White
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Work, then Cape Cod Community College
I am going to be working for a year. Then I will go to Cape Cod Community College and after that I want to see what another college is like. I am very interested in space and history, and I would like to further my education to get into those fields. I would like to say to my classmates that I am glad I got to spend all this time with you and I hope to see you again soon. I was not the most social kid in the world in high school. But now, going to all these senior-week social occasions, it makes me kind of melancholy. In future, I want to be the best possible me I can be. I don’t want to put myself down or others down. I want to be content with where I am in my life. And if I can do that, I think I can be a good person.
Taylor Kmiec
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plans: Rome, Italy via Northeastern University
This fall, I will be attending Northeastern University to study journalism, with an interest in sports journalism. I will be participating in the NUIN program and spending my first semester in Rome, Italy. I am looking forward to spreading my wings and learning about myself as I take on Europe during my semester abroad. I am so excited to push myself out of my comfort zone and go on adventures, make memories that will last a lifetime, and create lifelong friendships. After college, I plan to go to law school to pursue a career as a criminal defense appeals attorney. I am going to be changing the world by representing people who were wrongfully convicted and get their sentences overturned.
Tristan Lamar Miller
Wellfleet
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Paul Smith’s College, Paul Smiths, N.Y.
I will be going to Paul Smith’s College, a small school in the Adirondacks of upstate New York, to study ecological restoration. There, I hope to learn more about how to restore degraded or destroyed ecosystems. What I will miss most about high school is being on the swim team. I joined with the underclassman in eighth grade, and in later seasons became the substitute swimmer for states and championships. I really miss that sense of community that held the team together. I’m also glad that, while in high school, I took the opportunity to do dual enrollment at Cape Cod Community College. I feel it has prepared me for the rigors of college as well as helped me narrow my career focus. While I plan to move further up north, I am rooted by the Cape’s abundance of conservation land, the national park, and the experiences that I’ve had at those serene places. I’ll miss my home: my garden, my dogs, and the seaside.
Zora-Rose Fiset Morin
Eastham
School: Nauset High
Fall plan: Cape Cod Community College
I decided to go to Cape Cod Community College to save money and then attend Roger Williams University. I plan on majoring in English literature in the hope of someday becoming an author. I am truly looking forward to the day where I get to own and work in my own bookstore and write books. The one thing I am grateful for learning in high school is English. I moved to the United States four year ago from Quebec, when I was 14. I did not know any English and was terrified that I could never adapt well or fast enough. But with the help of my mother and teachers, I was fully bilingual by the end of my freshman year. I strongly believe that being able to speak more than one language is important and I am glad that I now do. Knowing English made my dream of becoming a writer much stronger.
